Review Summary: A Sound I'm Still Looking Forward to Hearing More Of
This year has been a very exciting year when it comes to music. And for those that follow the Brainfeeder label, it has been especially kind with Kamasi Washington and now Thundercat Releasing two great projects. Thundercat has been a busy guy these past years between putting together his own EP and being an integral part of Kendrick Lamar’s one of a kind album “To Pimp a Butterfly” it’s hard to imagine he’d have much time for anything else. And this is assuming that he put all his time and effort into those two projects, which after hearing them both shows you just how much he’s put into each. In “To Pimp a Butterfly” the main instrument Thundercat showcased was his wavy bass techniques. But, throughout his own EP he has been able to showcase his many other talents that bare away from the jazz like production style.
It’s more of a lush, airy, and controlled type of production. His skill set with these instruments can not be understated, as he strums and sings over this production. The sound is soothing, but has the feeling of a touch of a D’Angelo in “Black Messiah” where his singing is audible but it’s used as it’s own instrument to complement those around him. Listening to this calm and soothing sound brings you to feel as though you are floating in an empty field outside surrounded by trees and a cool breeze. It fits in with the time being summer that it has been released. This album feels like summer, it feel like a trip to nowhere many would go for some alone time or to just enjoy the company of another.
It’s as if Kamasi and Thundercat decided they were going to present two opposite sides of the spectrum. While Kamasi wanted to present more of a darker tone with “The Epic,” you can feel the warm and settling tone of this EP. Somehow Thundercat was able to capture the beauty and sunset of a summer afternoon and put it into this music, including the artwork. The bass isn’t over the top, the drums and hats are just right and it leaves you wanting more just as an EP should. It gives us a taste of the abilities that Thundercat can achieve on his own, without the assistance or readied guidance of a Kendrick Lamar. Seeing this makes one happy, it makes you excited for the full length project that Thundercat has been working on.
Though, Thundercat doesn’t have the best of voices he ironically has the voice that best fits his type of music. His voice doesn’t have to be the most dissected and looked at part of the album because that’s obviously not his strongest point. And when you realize that even with an average range of singing skills he was able to still create such an enjoyable and complete project such as this, you see how great his other skills are brought out. Brainfeeder I’m sure has gained a tremendous amount of fans from the success of one Kamasi Washington, Thundercat not only brings more but does it in his own style and at a different pace of his counterpart. No, this EP isn’t a big outlandish project that will draw eyes neither does it reflect all of the great qualities Thundercat brought out for Kendrick Lamar, but that’s the point and otherwise this album would come out as really bland and boring really fast.
